Esenyurt Mayor Özer: “There is a project that we and the Metropolitan Municipality are eagerly awaiting: the HIZRAY project.”

The meeting held within the framework of the “IETT-District Meetings” by the Istanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Enterprises General Directorate (IETT) addressed the public transportation problems and proposed solutions experienced in Esenyurt district. Speaking at the meeting, Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer stated, “There is a project that both the Metropolitan Municipality and we are eagerly awaiting: the HIZRAY project.”

The meetings conducted under the “IETT-District Municipality Meetings” aim to discuss the problems, requests, and expectations regarding public transportation between IETT General Directorate and district municipalities, producing short, medium, and long-term solutions. This time, the meeting took place in Esenyurt. The gathering at the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center was attended by Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, IETT General Manager İrfan Demet, IETT Deputy General Managers Zeynep Pınar Mutlu, Onur Temurlenk, IETT Coordinator Sinan Öztürk, Transportation Planning Department Head Yusuf Limon, Esenyurt Mukhtars Association President Ahmet Kuzgun, CHP Esenyurt District President Hüseyin Ergin, Esenyurt Veterans Association President İsmail Kalaycıoğlu, unit managers, municipal council members, NGO representatives, neighborhood mukhtars, and many citizens. In his speech, Mayor Özer addressed the transportation issues experienced throughout the district, emphasizing the importance of the metro and HIZRAY projects. IETT officials shared the steps to be taken and planned projects to improve public transportation in Esenyurt with the participants. It was noted that efforts to add new lines, increase the number of trips, and reorganize existing stops would be implemented soon. Additionally, it was stated that works were being carried out to reduce traffic congestion in the area and to make public transportation more efficient.

“No meetings have been held between İBB and Esenyurt Municipality for 5 years”
In his opening speech, President Özer talked about what has been done for a sustainable Esenyurt since he took office, stating, “We are together for a very important meeting. Since the day we took office, we have set goals. One of our primary goals is a clean, accessible, and green Esenyurt. For sustainable transportation, we have laid 74,881 tons of asphalt in Esenyurt in four and a half months. This is a record. We have paved 68,923 square meters of cobblestone roads. We have made patching work of 19,683 tons at 306 different points. For this reason, I would like to thank our İBB President Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu on behalf of myself and all Esenyurt residents for the contributions he has made to us. Because İBB’s contributions are included in these asphalt works. During the past five-year period, no meetings have been held or relationships developed between İBB and Esenyurt Municipality. This is a tragic point for a city,” he said.

The project that will solve Esenyurt’s transportation problem: HIZRAY
Mayor Özer emphasized the HIZRAY project, which will significantly solve the transportation problem in Esenyurt, saying, “There is a project that both the Metropolitan Municipality and we are eagerly waiting for: the HIZRAY project. It starts from here; it stops at TÜYAP and reaches Sabiha Gökçen in 55 minutes.”

“I am very pleased with the cooperation we have carried out”
Describing the transportation problems identified in Esenyurt, President Özer said:
“I communicate the findings that come to us on behalf of the people; IETT transportation should be provided to neighborhoods without IETT transportation, and the number of trips should be increased. Cities are remembered by their squares and symbols. Together, we will bring symbols to our city and make it a brand city. We will make Esenyurt a city worthy of the 21st century, especially in transportation, social municipality, culture and arts, and solving zoning problems. That is why we work day and night, weaving like a tapestry. I am very pleased with the cooperation we have had with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality so far. From now on, our satisfaction will continue to grow. We value and appreciate Mayor Ekrem. We will do good work together. We cannot write a new story in Beyoğlu, Kadıköy, or Şişli in Istanbul. The strength of a chain is measured by its weakest link. The weak link is Esenyurt in Istanbul. If a story is to be written, it will be written here in Esenyurt. I say this not just because I am the mayor here, but also as a sociologist; I have expressed the same things in my previous studies. The pioneer and leader of that story is Ekrem İmamoğlu. We will write that story together here.”

“We will provide positive contributions to Esenyurt”
Speaking at the meeting, IETT General Manager İrfan Demet stated that they were in Esenyurt, the most populous district in Turkey, to identify problems on-site and produce solutions with the participatory vision of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, saying, “We just received the requests of our president, and we will evaluate them in the best way. Our aim is to solve the most urgent problems that will contribute to Esenyurt transportation before the schools open. We came here, listened, and it won’t just end there. Of course, we will go, but we will definitely provide positive contributions to Esenyurt as a result of our visit. I assure you of this as the general manager of IETT. This meeting will definitely benefit Esenyurt, which is the largest district in Turkey in terms of population.”
Demet also discussed the works and investments IETT has carried out in the last five years, stating, “IETT General Directorate, with its 153 years of experience, operates 62,000 trips a day on 832 routes across Istanbul, transporting nearly 5 million passengers. IETT covers 1,250,000 kilometers a day. It travels a distance equivalent to going around the world 32 times in a single day. Together with the staff of private public buses, we serve Istanbul residents with a workforce of over 20,000 every day.”
Yusuf Limon, Head of IETT Transportation Planning Department, made a presentation regarding the number of passengers transported in Esenyurt, the routes used, and planned public transportation works. Participants shared the issues, requests, and expectations regarding public transportation in the district.